18 November, 2021
Top cop tells locals that crime spike under control
At a ‘Coffee with a Cop’ event, held at Great Country Pies on Monday, which was also attended by several other Darling Downs Division representatives, local police and Volunteers in Policing (ViPs), Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Southern Region Mike Condon told residents Oakey’s crime rate has significantly reduced since its peak in October.
The most senior police officer in the Southern Region which encompasses the Darling Downs, Ipswich and South West, Assistant Commissioner Condon said Oakey has turned a corner with several young people arrested in the past month.
“As far as Oakey is concerned we have had a bit of a spike last month in unlawful uses,” he said.
“That has obviously caused some concerns in the community.
“We have rounded up most of those offenders, most aged between 11 and 16 which makes it a very complex issue to deal with from the justice system.
“What the public will see this month is that it has dropped right off.”
Assistant Commissioner Condon said from his talks with local residents, it is clear the community is supportive of police and their work.
“What we are hearing is this is a very supportive community and they understand the challenges,” he said.
“They’ve all got a little bit of information that we are interested in.”
He urged local residents not to become fixated on social media comments
and to resist the urge to take the law into their own hands.
“We would say, continue to work with us, continue to provide information, we will get on top of the spike and they will go into custody,” Assistant Commissioner Condon said.
“We would say to the people that are thinking of a vigilante type approach that it’s not the way to do business. You’ll get yourself into trouble.
“This town does not want to be known for vigilantes.
“It wants to be what it is a beautiful country town, good people, enjoying life.”
CRIME STATS
The spike in crime in the Oakey district is clear from the Queensland Police statistics for October.
The statistics show a marked increase in offences from 37 in September to 91 in October.
It is also almost double the 2020 figures with only 56 offences recorded in October last year.
The figures were dominated by unlawful entry offences, unlawful use of motor vehicle and other thefts.
Thankfully assaults and drug offences were at just two and four incidents.
